In a press release, the London mayor's office said that "from
next month, Transport for London," or TfL, "will not allow ads
which could reasonably be seen as likely to cause pressure to
conform to an unrealistic or unhealthy body shape, or as likely
to create body confidence issues, particularly among young
people."

It adds that City Hall has asked TfL to create an "Advertising
Steering Group" in conjunction with the advertising giants
JCDecaux and Exterion to monitor output and reflect London's
diversity.

The move follows a massive backlash against various poster
campaigns on the transport network for so-called body shaming —
most notably the "Beach Body Ready" images for a line of protein
shakes that depicted a woman in a bikini last year.

Despite the negative reaction, Protein World — the company
featured in the ads — reported made £1 million ($1.4 million) in
four days after spending just a quarter of that on the marketing.

Khan said his daughters had helped prompt the decision:

As the father of two teenage girls, I am extremely concerned
about this kind of advertising which can demean people,
particularly women, and make them ashamed of their bodies. It is
high time it came to an end.

Nobody should feel pressurised, while they travel on the Tube or
bus, into unrealistic expectations surrounding their bodies and I
want to send a clear message to the advertising industry about
this.

Graeme Craig, the TfL commercial development director, added that
the nature of public-transport advertising made it different from
ones on TV or in magazines:

Our customers cannot simply switch off or turn a page if an
advertisement offends or upsets them and we have a duty to ensure
the copy we carry reflects that unique environment. We want to
encourage great advertising that engages people and enhances the
transport network.